Scott Blackwood's 'See How Small' attracts critical praise
The book 鈥淪ee How Small鈥� by Scott Blackwood, which was recently released, is attracting critical praise for its story of three deceased teenage girls who watch their town from the afterlife.
鈥淪mall鈥� was released on Jan. 20 and centers on three girls who are killed when the ice cream shop where they work is attacked. Elizabeth, Zadie, and Meredith see how the residents of their Texas town react to the crime as they continue on in the afterlife. The novel was selected by Amazon as one of the best books of the month.听
Now NPR has reviewed the book as well, with critic Michael Schaub calling the book 鈥渘ear-perfect.鈥澛�
鈥淪cott Blackwood has written a beautiful, terrifying novel about how a community deals with the sudden loss of three of its youngest members,鈥� Schaub wrote. 鈥淏lackwood's portraits of all these characters are surprising and compassionate. Not a single sentence in聽See How Small聽is maudlin or overwrought; he treats his subjects with respect and a brutal emotional honesty鈥�. It's not an easy book to read鈥� a brutal, necessary, and near perfect novel.鈥澛�
awarded the novel a starred review, calling it 鈥渁 genre-defying novel of powerful emotion, intrigue, and truth鈥�. [Blackwood uses] deft prose to mine the essence of human grief and compassion.鈥�
Meanwhile, found that 鈥渢he novel is strikingly creepy, if a bit affected 鈥� the brevity of the chapters and gauzy prose have a lyrical effect but also make the story feel diffuse, with no one peculiar, uncanny moment given the chance to build up a head of steam. Blackwood is an excellent stylist, though in the name of unconventionality, the reader lacks a few narrative toeholds.鈥�
